Danville Express

Of Note

San Ramon Valley High School's Odyssey of the Mind Team received Honorable Mention at World Finals recently in Maryland. The team - Andrew Raymond, Emily Neary, Nathan Polanco and Trevor Okamoto and Natalie Fong - competed at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Maryland against more than 850 teams from around the world in five different problems and four divisions. This San Ramon Valley High team was one of only four in California to "place" in the competition, receiving Honorable Mention for its problem solution. The team built a battery powered vehicle that used inventions of Leonardo Da Vinci's to complete various sport related tasks.

Award-winning essays

The Exchange Club of San Ramon Valley presented scholarship awards to three San Ramon Valley Unified School District high school students at the San Ramon City Council meeting last month. These scholarship awards, sponsored by PG&E and Pacific Rim Recycling, are for the best essays from among students who attended the Exchange Club's recent American Heritage Lecture Series on the 10th Constitutional Amendment, Separation of Powers, at Veterans' Hall in Danville. Shown at the presentation are PG&E representative Tom Guarino; second-place winner Cameron Lee, who received $500; third place, Vicki Hsieh, who received $250; first place, Amanda Swenson, who received $1,000; Exchange Club President Karen Stepper; and Vice President Tom Hawkins.

Evan O'Dorney at math competition

U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney (D., 11th District), himself a mathematician, congratulates Danville resident Evan O'Dorney at the reception for USA Mathematical Olympiad winner held at the State Department in Washington, D.C. Evan, 14, was one of 12 winners chosen from 505 outstanding high school students who qualified for the 2008 USA Mathematical Olympiad by tacking a challenging, six-question exam, distributed via the Internet to their schools.

Evan, who is homeschooled, made national news last year by winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee. He is also an accomplished pianist. On top of that, he juggles and has earned a tae-kwon-do black belt.

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